Vivian & David

Our list of August events....

We began the month when we left the mission presidency meeting to Durban to drive the four hour drive up the coast to Richard's Bay. It was our first time there. We got to meet with the Bartholomew's and Hafen's, and see the building for our future YSA Conference there on the 4th of October. These two couples came later in the month and did EFY for our three local branches. At the last minute, our District President was not available to give the concluding EFY talk, so Elder Dibb was asked to do it and he did a tremendous job.

We accepted the Rotary Club's invitation for their "Christmas in July"/"August" Dinner Party. Elder & Sister Dibb's photo ended being selected for the local Newcastle Advertiser newspaper article.

Our Personal progress in Madadeni Branch One is progressing, I had 12 YW come and enthuastically participate. However for Newcastle, it is slower, but I keep trying. I also continue trying to do auxiliary training.Elder Dibb continues to teach the temple preparation class in Sunday school, and Sister Dibb keeps missing his class because the young 12-13 year old boys come and ask her to teach their Sunday School class.

Elder & Sister Bricknell of the Area Seventy were here for the mission all-zone conference and we had dinner with them the night they were in Newcastle. They are amazing people and so powerful, and yet tender, in their presentations to us.

Seminary continues and Sister Dibb actually prepared and presented one lesson that she created on her own of trying to explain about Israel, Judah, and the Ten Lost Tribes. Anyone who really knows me well knows this was really something. We are now into studying Isaiah.

Another personal monthly accomplishment was getting Danisa and Empume married. Pres/Bro. Danisa asked me to talk to Empume and try to convince her to marry him. Thus I did with the help of the Spirit. Their request was for Elder and Sister Dibb to be their two witnesses for their wedding. We all went to the Home Affairs office to try to accomplish this to only learn that the next available date would be in November. Elder Dibb made a telephone call and as a favor for him, we got a church 'marriage officer' from Durban to drive up here to perform the services. Yes, that was accomplished before the baby's due date of October 20th.

We did our round of Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching which takes a full day to visit our branch members that live so far away. For Sister Creek, I'm glad we did go when we did, and give her some church magazines and an ice cream. Our 85 year old friend passed away just a little more than two weeks later. Since she was an endowed sister, I was asked to help dress her.

Our Newcastle Branch had their branch temple trip to Johannesburg. It was so wonderful; we had lots of branch members that wanted to have their family names taken to to the temple. Elder Dibb helped them prepare for the temple work to be done. We had lots of youth doing baptisms with the family file names. Other ordinances were done as well. The policy was recently changed so that we could go with our branch and I was so happy. I was Sister Gumede's escort for her own endowment. Elder Dibb was one of the witnesses for the sealing for her and her husband, and then two of their children were sealed to them.

Although we have challenges in our branch like when we had no Primary or Young Women presidency members come to church one Sunday, we are also very blessed. We witness several tender mercies. One day I decided to make a list for that day and I counted 25.

We got to Skype with our six year old Grant after he lost his first tooth; and we Skyped with our 4 year old Clark, as he read us four of his easy reader books.